Aberration
by bbybear85
Summary: 1xR Sometimes happily ever after isn't all it's cracked up to be.
1. Chapter 1

Thank you, again, to my beloved Beta, Stormy Monday. And for everyone's support. OMGosh, I'm so glad to be publishing FF's, again. :D

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing**

 ** _  
_** _Project Earthworm. Project Earthworm. Project Earthworm._

Relena thumbed through the lower drawer of her filing cabinet. One might expect a name like "Earthworm" to be in the first or second drawer, but Relena kept it in the locked compartment for slightly safer keeping. Certainly, her office was cleared for holding Sensitive Compartmented Information, but this was a special classification: Caveat Bedrock.

She wasn't risking anyone getting undisclosed information on this project. Too much at stake.

Her eyes sparked when she saw the letters. Still squatting, the pulled the portfolio to her chest, locking the drawer, again.

Coming back to her feet, Relena opened the burgundy cardstock, revealing the project lead on the first page.

Preventer Wind.

Recent correspondence showed that the terraforming project on Mars had been held up, but she'd gotten word, today, that the complication in the agronomics had been cleared, and that the extra hands they'd sent would be landing shortly after the first harvest season.

 _Harvest season_ , she thought excitedly. _We're growing food on Mars!_

Relena made a soft, joyful noise as she sighed. She turned and set her key on the desk, slowly peeling her eyes from her work to adjust her seating.

Her entire body jerked in surprise.

Someone else was in the room.

When Relena registered the face, blood had already rushed from her extremities, leaving an uncomfortable cool wash in its place.

Heero Yuy.

He was amused. And-curious?

It wasn't an expression, per se. She really couldn't even begin to describe it to someone who didn't also know him intimately. His face was perfect. Angelic and emotionless. He was chiseled in stone.

But under dark, messy locks, his eyes spoke volumes.

Not the expression of his brows or lids or cheeks. It was in his actual eyes. Somewhere in the irises or the pupils.

So much emotion.

She was glad to see humor. It would be such long chapters between his sparkles of humor, but it was always her favorite, even if it was wry and sometimes inappropriate.

He was laughing _at_ her, not _with_ her, as the expression goes.

Relena's cheeks burned. The split second of panic upon seeing him must have made her look such a fool in his eyes.

"It's-complicated," she said.

He issued a wordless grunt in response.

"You wouldn't understand. What are you doing here, anyway?"

Heero finally blinked, looking around the room. Relena had three offices.

For her "vacation" work and when she simply wanted to be comfortable with the tedious things on her plate, Relena kept a home office, but that one was the least used. There was no one in the home to keep her there.

During the day, she was usually found uptown in the Earth Sphere Unified Nation Headquarters building. Vice Foreign Minister, Relena worked in the East Wing of the building and was readily accessible to the general public. This was not ideal for keeping or working with classified information.

Instead, Relena's classified work was kept in a Sensitive Compartmentalized Information Facility office-the one she was standing in at that moment. The SCIF was a bland, highly secured building outside of town, nearly forty minutes' drive from her residence. It was not only strikingly less welcoming than the high-rise uptown, but the building Relena kept her sensitive work in was impossible to enter without proper clearance.

The blonde woman eyed her old friend with a mischievous grin. "You're not supposed to be here."

His lip tightened ever so slightly, implying a smile.

Security measures never could slow Heero Yuy down.

She sat down, ignoring him, and turned back to the work, surrounding her estranged brother.

"So what are you afraid of?" He asked. His voice was dark and earthy, but soft. Heero wasn't much for speaking, so when he did, it came gently, and yet commanded the attention of all who heard him. Relena had seen entire rooms of angry bureaucrats fall silent before him. Wherever he was, he reaped respect.

The query was exactly as she'd expected. To be honest, she was acting out of what he would see as ordinary. Relena had been through a war at his side. She'd looked gundams in the eye without flinching. She'd face warlords and tyrants without a hint of dread. Heero saw her as strong and brave, and she knew it well, but now he'd seen a new development: Anxiety. Of course he would know that it didn't belong.

Relena pressed the folder shut with her palms. "You wouldn't understand," she said.

"Try me."

She sighed, slumping in her chair. Her ocean blue eyes met his midnight ones. Disappearing for months was normal for him, and seldom required a briefing, but a minor change in personality would need to be explained, whether she'd like to discuss it or not.

"I had a _friend,_ " she started. "Well, and _old_ friend-a _former_ friend-an _ex_ friend."

He folded his hands near his lips and stared at her.

Relena took a breath. Even thinking about explaining this put her on the defensive. Anyone in their right mind would debate that there was nothing to fear.

"You know I don't have a lot of friends, so when I do make one, I try to keep them." She licked her lips. "I can be a bit of a people pleaser."

Across her desk, Heero's face was stone, but a small glimmer in his eye showed his familiarity with this personality trait.

"Maybe too much so," she continued. "Anyway, when things fell apart I tried to remain cordial. I tried too hard. I let boundaries get blurred and I-regret that. When I finally put my foot down and told her we couldn't see each other, anymore, she seemed to back off, but it wasn't real. Next thing I know, she's dating my secretary."

"Christoff?"

Relena smiled, sadly. "Yeah. She would take his stories about our work and twist them into things they weren't. She told him I was being unfair, that I was cruel. She even convinced him, finally, that I was sexually attracted to him-that

I was sexually harassing him." Relena's shoulders dropped. "So he quit. And then she broke up with him." She reached out and touched the desk, looking at her fingernails. They were clean and strong, but plain and worn from countless hours of seemingly endless paperwork.

"And that's when you hired Regina?"

"Yes." She looked up at him with a sureness in her eyes. "The odd thing, though, is that then she started dating my secretary-again."

Heero's eyes widened slightly.

She gestured openly. "I know that happens, but the _timing_. I'm telling you. Something wasn't right."

He frowned.

Relena squeezed the bridge of her nose, breaking eye contact. "Regina never did trust me. I couldn't count on her, even for the basic needs of the job. And with so much other stuff going on, I had no choice but to assume she was being used to get to me. I _had_ to let her go."

"What other stuff?"

"She began contacting my brother and my mother. She even started showing up at Quatre's office pretty regularly, asking about me. I didn't have a single relationship, business or otherwise, that she didn't force herself into. I had to get away from her. Regina wasn't the only one. I stopped speaking to a dozen people. I just couldn't know who all was there to get information and bring it back to her."

"So you just secluded yourself?"

"What choice did I have?!"

Heero straightened in his seat. "Regina's gone, now?"

"Based on the fact that you knew both of my last two assistants names, I'm willing to assume you know the answer to that."

"Having a stalker isn't unusual for someone of your position."

"Stalker? No. It wasn't- _sexual_."

"Why would it need to be sexual?"

Relena opened her mouth to respond, but to be honest, she wasn't sure of the definition of what she'd faced. "So, if stalking is not necessarily a sexual thing, what exactly makes it 'stalking'?"

"Unwanted obsessive behavior from one individual to another," he said in a very technical tone. "It's harassment for the purpose of intimidation."

"Oh," she answered softly. "But if it's not-sexual-then what would cause someone to act that way?"

"Her medical files say she suffers from sociopathy, but I'm inclined to think it may be psychopathy."

"Uh uh." She touched her chin, unfocused on the room for several minutes, until a new thought seemed to strike ground. "Wait." Relena looked up at him. "You believe me?!"

"Of course," he said.

"But everyone else thought I was paranoid. _I_ was starting to think I was paranoid."

"There's no reason for that inference. I didn't look into her psychiatric records until after she'd displayed a length of erratic behavior. It's a pretty cut and dried behavior pattern: Get close to you and isolate you from everyone else."

"She didn't get you," Relena said, shrugging and offering him a playful smirk.

Heero's face seemed lighter for a moment, but the expression faded just as quickly as it appeared.

"So you looked into her records? I thought you were joking."

"No. But again, I only checked because she was displaying unnatural symptoms. I'm a gentleman, you know."

Relena chuckled. "You look tired," she commented.

It was true. His face was more haggard than she was used to. Granted, having met at the ripe old age of 15, the years came quickly for the pair, each cycle of months apart bringing new changes to be met in each other's profiles. The circles around his eyes, though, were deeper and darker than she'd expect, and there was a paleness in his cheeks that almost seemed ghostly.

"I demand you rest," she continued in an assertive, but diplomatic tone. "I'll have Pagan prepare your room, across from mine. You must stay as long as you can-and you may stay as long as you _like_." Her smile glowed when she looked at him.

"I was thinking I might extend my stay to make sure your stalker keeps her distance, anyway."

She blushed, though she wasn't sure why she would, anymore. "Yes. And we'll overlook the indifference you've shown your health, of late."

"Hn." He stood, moving toward the door. He stopped at the threshold and looked back.

"Jenny wasn't her real name, was it?"

"In a way, perhaps," he answered. "'Ginny'. Her real name is Virginia Riley." His gaze stayed fixed on her for more than was comfortable. Something smoldered

behind them-a question she didn't really know the answer to. Relena left her work forgotten on the desk, approaching him with an apprehensive air. She put her hand on the door, studying that stare.

"It's fine, Heero. She's gone, now It's over."

He was frowning shallowly. "These things don't tend to go away. I'll be around," he said.

Relena smiled. "Thank you."

"No," he replied.

His hand came up and a finger traced her jawline up toward her ear. His thumb bumping her lip as he went. Heero's eyes seemed to jump from each feature of her face to the next, before they bore back into her own. Relena gasped when he leaned over her. His mouth closed over hers, pulling her in. There was a fluid softness to the movement, even as her bottom lip was grazed by his teeth. In the warmth, his tongue touched her and a thousand thoughts clouded her mind.

But suddenly, the heat vanished as he pulled away, straightening at arm's length, again.

"Thank you," he said, as though he'd not been interrupted. "For being my friend."

Relena's mind fell silent as he turned and walked away. She closed the door slowly, moving back to the desk. The blonde lowered into her seat, pressing the folder and key down with her palms.

' _My friend'?_

Relena swallowed. _That kiss-_

' _Friend'_.

She huffed, shaking her head. She brought her fingers up to press out the tension in her forehead.

"Bastard," she said in the emptiness.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Happy pick-me-up. I hope you enjoy the chapter. And thank you, as always, to my beloved beta, Stormy Monday.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing**

Threats came.

Threats had always come. It was practically part of the job description.

 _Vice Foreign Minister:  
\- Must be able to take death threats with an appropriate balance of grace and caution.  
_  
Having a rumor now spreading that a Gundam pilot was, in fact, living with the stateswoman seemed to cause quite a stir in the underworld. The bullying grew still more intimate and direct, which didn't sit well with 01, but she was staunchly unfazed. Her attitude, of course, gave rise to the argument between herself and those closest to her, that there was not enough of the "caution" ingredient in her threat handling recipe.

Relena didn't care.

She was so sure of herself, in fact, that she spoke with Preventer leaders and the President, and was able to convince them to allow her to host the Christmas Eve celebration and fundraiser for AC 201. Relena would be sure to face her opposition with her best foot forward, in every sense of the phrase.

Heero was less confident on the issue, so he made sure to be in town to openly attend the festive assembly. Being public about his appearance would hopefully dissuade assumptions about an alleged romance, he figured, and if anyone did actually recognize him by face, he intended to add a foreboding presence to her home guard.

He stood by a window in the far corner from the band.

The room hushed in awe as Relena made her entrance. She greeted her guests in a royal blue gown, leaving more of her pale skin for viewing than she'd ever dared before. Her golden locks were curled and swept into a loose, oversized updo, elongating and sharpening the details of her neck and shoulders while simultaneously giving her an air of softness and tangibility. Heero felt the air leave his body, but he intently avoided pondering too much over the matter.

"What do you think?" A woman said over Heero's shoulder.

He hadn't noticed that he'd stopped paying attention to the gentry until the guest was on top of him. He swallowed, hiding his surprise, as he turned to meet her purple eyes. At twenty-one, Heero finally stood at his full height and was looking down at his now distant comrade.

Lucrezia Noin Marquise looked back in a kind but unyielding manner. She knew that even a hint of insecurity would lose her footing with him indefinitely. "Her hair," she said softly. "What do you think?"

Heero frowned.

"I saw how hard you were staring at her," she commented, crossing her arms and turning her shoulders from him. "I know you noticed."

Heero finally let out a hard sigh. "You did her hair?" He asked. He really didn't care, but he knew that Relena's sister-in-law was not going to let him alone unless he answered her prying with some kind of compliment.

Lucrezia smiled. "She makes it easy," she said. "She's already naturally _very_ beautiful—a fact with which I'm sure you're quite familiar."

Heero turned to say something, but Noin didn't wait for a response. "The trip wasn't as bad as you'd think. I just wish we'd had more time to prepare."

Heero looked back at the crowds. Relena's presence alone had already drawn a dozen eligible men to her side, ranging in age from twenty-five to thirty-five. They pressed at each other, each trying to best the others for her attention.

"I mean, Relena's hosting a dinner party, and I wish I was here, just to enjoy the food and dance, but my date seems—preoccupied and _rigid_."

Heero was listening, but he paid her no pleasantries. He was keeping his attention on the movements of the group surrounding the former princess.

"He's looking for you, by the way," she said playfully.

His gaze finally snapped to hers.

Lucrezia grinned. "He doesn't seem happy, either."

He frowned and went back to his silent sentinel stance.

Noin leaned against the window frame beside him, pulling a bacon wrapped olive off of the toothpick with her teeth. She stopped chewing when she caught a glimpse of her husband approaching from the corner of her eye. "Well," she mumbled. "I'll catch you later, then." Her eyes twinkled when she grinned at Heero, and then she disappeared into the masses.

Zechs carefully avoided blocking Heero's line of sight. He pressed himself back, behind the former Gundam pilot, looking down at him with a critical gaze. "I hate that dress," he said, setting the tone for the conversation.

Heero rolled his eyes inwardly. "I'm not a fashion consultant."

Zechs smirked. "Too much attention. That's all."

Heero glowered.

The taller man offered Heero one of the two glasses of scotch he'd carried. Heero glared at the beverage. "Drinks are for friends."

"Drinks," Zechs replied, "are for negotiations."

"You and I have nothing to bargain over, Zechs. You have no more leverage with me."

"It's not that kind of deal," the blond answered.

Heero held onto the glass firmly, but never raised it to his lips.

"I'd prefer to suggest an alteration to our previous arrangement," the tall man said.

Heero continued to survey the room, as though he didn't hear his former rival.

"These threats are unnecessary."

"These threats are no one's fault."

"Perhaps not," the blond man agreed. His icy blue eyes stayed fixed on his sister. "But that doesn't mean they can't at least be counteracted."

"I thought you wanted me to stick around," Heero said, leading him.

A crooked grin accented the former prince's face. "I was going to suggest, actually, that perhaps you should be _closer_ to your charge."

"She won't take a bodyguard."

"I know that."

Heero looked up at him. "Then what are you getting at?"

Glass in hand, Zech pointed to the swarm of men surrounding the hostess with his middle finger. "You see this problem," he said. "This wouldn't be an issue if she had a husband."

Heero's eyes sparked with a hint of anger and he looked away.

"I'm not suggesting you marry her off," Zechs commented in his defense.

"Then what are you suggesting?"

" _You_ marry her."

Heero opened his mouth to respond, but he simply closed it and turned away when he realized he had no rebuttal.

"You go everywhere with her. She won't be alone or endangered. There will be no more Romefellers or Marimeias. She'll be safe. Because you're there."

"No." His voice was cold, stern and unyielding.

"You haven't even given it a fair thought, Heero. I can help you arrange a false history—a cover story. Lady Une has offered to help, as well. No one will ever tie you back to your activities during the war. We'll make your alias an official name. You'll be 'Heero Yuy', _Nobody_ from _Nowhere_."

Heero's chest rose and fell with each breath. He seemed unmoved, if not agitated.

"And then you don't have to worry about these guys, anymore."

His frown seemed to deepen.

Zechs sighed. "Look, she's more fond of you than anyone. It's not really a secret. It's not like the arrangement would really be at all _unfair_ to her. She'd be safe and happy in your company." He gestured with his hands as he built his argument. "If you walked up there, right now, she'd part those fools like the Red Sea before her to get to you. She favors you."

Heero's posture was icy and immutable.

Zechs emptied his glass, shrugging at his old foe. "At least give the matter _some_ thought. She deserves that much." He turned and strode away without another word.

Across the room, Relena blushed as one of the men pulled at her hand, making an indecipherable comment. She glanced up at Heero, meeting his firm gaze.

He finally raised the drink to his lips, turning the glass up and emptying its contents in one quick swallow. Heero pushed off of the wall, moving toward her.

Relena pulled her arm back to herself, smiling, and pressed through the crowd to meet him in the center of the floor. Without a word, he took her waist, and she followed his lead to the waltz, forgetting all of the noise she'd left behind in the throng of men.

* * *

Uptown, late on New Year's Eve, Heero stepped off of an elevator on the fortieth floor. The halls were empty, but he could hear voices from one ajar office door. That was exactly where he'd set out to visit. He pushed the door further open to see a man their own age seated in the guest chair, opposite Relena. Heero knew him from a week before when he'd seen the fellow at Relena's dinner.

"It is interesting, though," he commented, seeming to chuckle at his own story.

Relena offered him a humoring look, but didn't say a word. She looked up when the door moved, and rose to meet her old friend. "Heero," she issued the soft recognition.

The man turned and looked up at the intruder in surprise.

"I'm sorry, Robert," she said with a smile. "I'm afraid I have an appointment with Mr. Yuy. It's very sensitive."

Robert stood, looking back at her curiously. "Oh," he answered. "Well I'll, uh, get out of your hair, then."

She nodded.

He moved to the exit, where Heero was stepping from his path. " _Do_ think about my offer, Miss Relena," he said in a cheerful tone. "Please won't you?"

"We'll see," she soothed, folding her hands in front of her as he faded from sight.

Relena let out a slow sigh, sinking back into her chair. "I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have lied."

Heero closed the door and locked it, turning and moving toward her. "Then let's say it's not a lie. Will you meet with me?"

"Now?" She asked. "Yes. Anything. What's this about?"

Heero touched his teeth with his tongue. "Now we have an appointment," he said.

Relena paused, a moment, looking at him. Finally, she laughed in a light crystal voice. "You're sweet," she said, sitting down. "So, then. Did you actually need to talk to me?"

"Not particularly."

Relena smiled, rubbing her face in her hands. It was after nine in the evening, and she was still at work. It didn't seem to bother Heero, but she felt like he would not have been out looking for her if she'd gone home at a more reasonable hour.

She tried to turn her attention back to the work she had for the holiday, but it was to no avail. Her previous visitor had not been the only one this week with one thing on his mind, and she was already tired of the attention.

Relena lay her forehead flat on the desk, uncaring of how absurd she might look to her friend. Minutes ticked by before she turned, freeing her mouth so she could speak. "It's not fair," she grumbled.

Heero leaned back, sinking deeper into the chair.

"Did you _see_ what Lucrezia was wearing?"

Heero blinked.

Relena saw confusion in his eyes. "It was _so_ short. I mean, she was by far the sexiest dressed at the party."

His blank stare confirmed that he had neither noticed nor cared.

"Do you think," she continued, "that she's getting any unnecessary or unwanted visitors this week? Of course not. And do you know _why_?"

"Because she's on a ship back to Mars?"

Relena laughed. That was true. But not the point she was making. "Because she could knock out any admirers with that rock on her left hand."

Heero folded his hands, raising his index fingers to meet his lips.

"She can dress however she wants, but only because she has a husband. I mean, what if I want to dress up nice—sexy—just for me. Maybe I want to feel pretty at an event without having men following me around for the next six months. Believe it or not, most women tend to think of how they feel about _themselves_ when they get dressed. Not so much what the rest of you think."

"It's been a week," he stated.

Relena shot him a warning look. "We live in a stupid society where a woman dressed appealingly is assumed to be representing herself as needy for a man's attentions. I shouldn't have to have a husband just so I can wear something sassy when I want to."

"I can't solve a problem ingrained into people's thinking, Relena."

"No," she scoffed, making light of the comment. "You're missing the point."

Heero lowered his hands, tucking them into his jacket pocket. "But you _want_ a husband."

She turned and looked at him.

"You want a husband. Children. A life at home that's separate from this."

Relena sighed, looking down at her fingers as she wrung them gently together. "Yeah," she said. "But not these guys. They's so—immature. Like they haven't seen the world, yet. I need someone who knows how awful it really is, but still has hope. I need someone who's already more of a man than they may ever be."

The pair fell into a comfortable silence. Heero studied her for several long minutes as her thoughts continued within herself.

"Marry me?" He finally said.

Relena's eyes widened, looking up at him. "What?"

"It's an option is all," he answered.

He drew his hand from his pockets, raising a small, black box to set on the table. Relena knew there was a ring inside, but she didn't dare move to open it.

"I know you and I know what you want. I can offer you that. But the decision is entirely your own. I won't be offended if you decide to go another way. This seems like an optimal choice to protect you while also to allowing you self expression, however you see fit."

Relena swallowed, tearing her eyes from the jewel box, back to his dark blue stare. "Heero, you can't just ask a woman to marry you over _security_. Couples—marriages—are built on love. Not because one is a burden for the other to keep safe."

"I do love you," he stated in his monotonous voice.

"No—" she started.

"Yes." He stood as he cut her off. "I do." Heero moved around the corner of the desk, obviously making his way toward her. "I may not have grown up around love, but that doesn't mean I don't understand it. It is a promise I do not make lightly, I assure you." His finger dragged across the engraved pattern, memorizing the groves. "I love—love my solitude—but I know that you are the only person I want to see on days when I'd otherwise just as well be left alone. My sabbath doesn't feel complete, anymore, unless you're nearby. _You_ are the only person," he said, "I seek regular advice from, because _you_ are the only person whose wisdom I cannot get enough of."

Relena rose, listening intently.

"Relena, from the time I met you, you've been the only person I could even imagine trusting completely; smiling with, or even laughing with. You're the one I want to be with—the only one I want to be close to—for the rest of my life."

Relena had pressed herself back, against the desk, as he completed his round and stood with her, face to face.

"I want to celebrate your accomplishments. I want to know your friends. I want to teach and protect and love your children." He brushed a tear that had found its way to her cheek, leaning close enough that she felt his breath on her face, accenting the tenderness of his voice.

"And I'm prepared to mourn and suffer with you when those days come. And they will, eventually, come." His voice continued in a slow, somber rhythm as he pressed his forehead against her own. "But even on the days when you feel that you—your job, whatever threat or stress in your life—are too much of a burden to share with me, I want you to remember that you are still—with all of your baggage—a relief to my burdens. Relena," he said slowly. "I love you. Don't you dare question that."

She could feel her belly trembling but she wouldn't show it. "You haven't thought this through," she answered, in spite of herself.

"I think every decision through before I make it. Certainly a vow. I'm sure about this." Heero gave a half-hearted shrug. "Like I said, the choice is yours to make. I'm in no hurry to hear your response. Give it some thought. Let me know whenever you're ready. There's no rush."

He turned away and reopened the locked entryway. "I'll be gone for a few weeks," he commented, as though the entire previous conversation had never happened. "I'll let you know when I'm back in town."

When the door shut Relena scrambled for the box. She pressed the faux leather exterior to her lips, thoughts tumbling through her mind, muddled with emotions she couldn't quite describe. Finally, against her better judgement, she opened the package to examine the ring.


	3. Chapter 3

Dear East Coast,  
Be safe. Enjoy the rain.  
Or don't. But do be safe.

Thank you, Stormy, for the beta!

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing**

The brown-haired man placed his hand on Relena's waist as she made her way up the steps to her front door. She reached into the small bag on her wrist, digging around until she pulled out her keys. Clinging to the sharp ridges a little too tightly, Relena watched her toes pushing the gravel back and forth over the doormat.

"I had a good time," he said, breaking the silence.

Relena offered him a shy smile. "Yeah."

She turned out of his grasp and his fingers trailed from her elbow to her wrist before letting go.

"Thank you, Robert," she said.

He grinned, grappling for a joke to break the tension that had grown thicker between them throughout the night. "You didn't make the whole 'first date on Valentine's' uncomfortable, at all."

"Valentine's? Oh." She bit her lip, slightly embarrassed. "I—I guess I don't keep up with holidays, very well."

"Ah. Now that makes sense. And here I thought you were using a line on me." His smile faded in and out. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," she responded, lifting her chin to look him in the eyes.

"Was this your first date?"

Relena's guarded façade broke in a small chuckle. "Yeah," she admitted. She felt embarrassed at saying it, but she knew that it was no reason to be ashamed. She was a busy woman. He'd surely understand as much.

He tucked his hands into his pockets, leaning forward as he nodded. "So, did _you_ have fun?"

Relena looked up, shaking stray hair from her eyes. "I—" She thought over the itinerary and the people they'd met, but she still lacked an answer for him, so she shrugged.

He curled his lips in with an awkward grin. "So you can't be sure if it's me you didn't like or the entire process of a date, right?"

Relena blushed. She wasn't used to being transparent, but the situation seemed to have gotten the best of her in that department.

"Well," he said, stepping closer. " _I_ liked _you_."

Relena took a deep, relaxing breath, keeping her eyes downcast to hide her thoughts.

"I'll tell you what," he started, pulling his hands out and adjusting the lapel of her jacket before moving to the sleeves. His fingers lingered on her arms and he sighed when she looked up at him. "Since you're not sure, I'm going to go ahead and kiss you goodnight, and then I _won't_ call you. I won't email you. I won't drop by your office. Nothing. I will not bother you at all." He raised his hand and tucked some hair behind her ear. "And then, if you decide you like me, you can call me. Any time. No rush."

Relena smiled.

Before she could give an audible answer he'd moved in even closer. His lips brushed hers very lightly at first, but he pressed carefully into the kiss. By the time Relena realized she was kissing him back, he was pulling away.

"So," he said, softly.

"So," she echoed in a more final tone.

"I hope to hear from you," Robert said, turning and working his way hesitantly back to his car.

Her eyes reflected his tail lights, pondering over the catastrophe of the evening, before she finally reached for the latch. Relena let herself into the darkened foyer, pressing the door shut with both hands and laying her forehead against it. There had been nothing particularly unfortunate about the dinner or her company, but she felt incredibly drained. If this was going to be the circuit of dating life, she wondered if it was worth the effort. It took weeks to decide to do this, and even longer to follow through. After all the planning and juggling with her schedule and his, the results were—not everything people had made them out to be.

She tapped her forehead on the wood of the door.

And then there was a realization. Something very uncomfortable flitted through her mind in the quiet.

Too quiet.

Relena took a very deep breath and turned to press her back flush against the port. In the shadows, a small stream of light from the porch window caught just the shoulder of her guest.

"How long have you been standing there?" She asked. Checking his viewpoint, again, she was sure he could see out the door. He could see the car as it pulled up, as well as Relena and her date as they climbed the stairs and— _Oy vey._

"Longer than that," he said without the slightest hint of embarrassment.

Relena sighed, flipping on the light.

Heero shifted at the mouth of the stairwell. "Do you like him?"

She peeled off her jacket and set down her purse. "I don't really know."

"Hn."

Relena pursed her lips. She folded her hands in front of her, trying not to look uncomfortable.

Catching her mood, he stepped onto the landing, moving closer. "Well," he said, painlessly trying not to seem awkward, himself, "did you at least have fun?"

She frowned. "I—" Her shoulders dropped. "No. No. I definitely didn't enjoy myself." She looked more relieved than he did. "I don't think I'm that kind of person, you know? I don't think I really like crowded restaurants or movies. I love people, and I can handle a crowded cocktail hour where I know why I'm there, but conversation of that depth in that atmosphere? I just want quiet and—I don't know." She dropped her eyes shaking her head.

Heero stood out of grasp, watching her process the evening. He finally moved to the mirror in the hallway, pulling a crystal carafe and two glasses from the chest below.

Bourbon. It wasn't her favorite, but she'd started keeping it when she realized it was his.

"Chess?" He finally asked.

Relena blinked and her face lit up. "What?"

"Would you like to play chess?"

Her teeth broke through as she failed to stifle an otherwise radiant smile. The night would still end on a good note. "Please," she answered, following him into the library, where her worn two toned board sat—the least neglected piece in the house.

The friends sat opposite each other in firm wingback chairs, each moving a set of pieces contrasting their own bright and dark physical attributes.

Relena had long believed that Heero—in spite of his ongoing commentary on his own value and the color of his soul—was the true angel of the pair. He was the lord champion and white knight, and she was left to juggle the dirty politics of the war-scarred world to protect him. But no one outside of their relationship could ever know or understand that, so she kept it as her secret: The Little Prince with a tattered history and a heart of gold.

The moves went quickly but they were precisely calculated between the two, as though they'd practiced a thousand times before. Each game had always been entirely unique with them, but never took long to finish. Knowing each other well, strategy was not something they had to agonize over.

"I did consider your offer, you know," she said, not looking up.

"I know." A light oak rook took her knight and she groaned.

Relena's smile twitched when the same rook took a pawn, close to her queen.

"Check," he mumbled, lifting a third glass of liquor to his lips.

Her dark bishop took his pesky rook, giving her command of the board. "Check mate," she answered. Relena raised her decadent cup to him, mocking a toast, and drank the rest in one swift, painful-looking swallow.

Heero raised a brow. He wasn't surprised, but he hadn't given her the win, either. Relena was an excellent tactician—one of the many reasons he respected and trusted her so.

"I don't think I'm going to try that, again," she said.

"Beating me?"

Relena grinned, pouring a fourth serving for them moments before the heat of intoxication hit her ears. "Dating. It was frustrating. I mean, do I have to expose my personal history to all those people just to find a husband?" She began setting the pieces back up between them for another round of chess without asking. "I'm good with people, and I thought I'd like being out with the masses, but—I just don't. I just feel so overwhelmed. There's got to be an easier way. I don't know what to do."

"Says the woman who bested Zero One at chess."

Relena grinned, looking playfully into his eyes. " _This_ is what I want from life," she admitted.

He tilted his head slightly.

"I could spend my nights off here, in the library, just—" Relena ran her finger in circles over her queen. "Beating you."

Heero adjusted his weight, reaching out for her arm. His touch was solid but gentle on her wrist. Relena gave him a curious stare, following his leading. She was surprised when he'd pulled her across the space onto his lap. Before she could ask, he ran his hand up to her neck, fingers lacing into her hair. Her breath caught. Every protest skittered out of her mind when Heero pulled her face down, pressing her lips against his.

"This might be a better plan," Relena mumbled, when she broke for air.

Heero stared at her without words for several long seconds. He ran her loose hairs through his hands, looking into her eyes with something intense burning deeply within his own.

Relena wasn't sure what to say in the silence, but then he cleared the air between them and took her opportunity away. He drew her into another warm kiss, more deep and intentional than the last.

Yes. This could be a better plan.

That was the last thing the stateswoman remembered before morning broke through the thin white curtains of her bedroom. Something about drinking too much left the muscles achy and tired, even without a lot of physical strain, she observed.

Drinking.

 _Shoot._

Her body became very rigid and still. She realized that his arm was still around her waist.

Wracking her brain, Relena tried to pull the entire set of events back to mind—preferably in the order they had happened. She didn't really remember how she'd gotten up to her room, no matter how she tried. Which meant—

Relena took mental stock of what she was wearing and what all was sore.

She let out a heavy sigh. It wasn't that dramatic.

She flinched when she felt Heero's body move beside her. Was he awake?

He groaned, rolling his shoulder back, flat against the bed. He, too, was fully clothed.

Relena relaxed her neck, sinking her head deeper into the pillow. She remembered the long, deep, unhurried kisses.

Her neck and cheeks flushed at the thought.

"Do you want coffee?" His voice was cool and undisturbed by the unusual circumstances.

 _Maybe he remembers more._

"Yeah." Her tone sounded much more calm at her lips than she actually felt.

He moved slowly from her side, disappearing into the hallway.

Relena lifted herself onto her elbows, looking after him as he went. She'd known for many years that she loved the look of him when he moved, but she'd never felt so abashed watching him go. She almost felt herself calling out to him from somewhere deep in her belly, but she trained herself in silence.

Several seconds after he'd gone she finally let go of her emotional control. A deep sigh, and several panicked breaths came to her mouth. A soft moan of confusion escaped her and she adjusted her weight so she was at least physically more comfortable as the pondered over it all.

Kissing him felt so good, but wasn't that just the buzz of the alcohol? No. She'd kissed him, before. She always thought he was just acting strangely like— _Heero_. The kisses, far between, seemed out of place and inappropriate.

Really, last night might have been inappropriate, too. After all, she'd just come home from a date _with another man_. But it was Heero, and they had a secret.

She turned on her hip, pulling the small black box from her nightstand. Relena ran her fingers over the cover, not moving to open it.

He told her there was no rush, but she could feel a sort of pressure within her, knowing he was still waiting for an answer.

Heero hadn't responded negatively to her choice to try dating. There wasn't even a hint of aggression or jealousy. What she wondered, though, was whether that was from his detached personality obscuring his true feelings, whether he simply didn't care what she decided, or if, perhaps, he already knew what she was and was not looking for—if, perhaps, he knew that Robert didn't even have what it took to stay on her radar.

He really didn't. He was sweet. He was cute. He was— _naive_.

If anything, he was the embodiment of that frustration she had with her generation. They just couldn't seem to understand herself or the soldiers she'd chosen to protect. She could deal with that in stride, but not _every day_. The boys who'd been teens in the time of the Eve's War were mostly sheltered from the violent realities she'd experience so closely and so personally. They could never understand her passions, her fears, or her _nightmares_.

Relena flipped the box open, looking at the ring, again. It made her heart hurt and flutter at once. She rolled her fingers at the base of the box, watching the eastern sun flash off of the white and green stones into her eyes.

She pursed her lips as she finally pulled the white gold free from the velvet folds, holding it close for the first time. Maybe it wasn't really a terrible idea. She did love him, after all, and she knew that was a love that never would fade. She's committed herself to protect him to her dying day, and that's all the love he'd ever seemed to look for in her.

The metal gently bumped the sides of her ring finger as she tried the fit. Relena stifled a grin. Of course he knew her ring size.

The scent of coffee slowly became prevalent enough to pull her back from her thoughts. Heero was standing in the doorway, leaning against the wall, with two steaming cups in hand.

Relena swallowed and looked up at him. There was something distant and hot in his eyes.

"They'll want to know who you are," she said.

He nodded.

Relena ran her thumb over the knuckles of her left hand, watching how the jeweled set twinkled with the slight movement. He did seem to like emerald on her skin.

She could feel her face glowing.

"I can handle distracting them with what they want to hear," he said in a sturdy tone.

"You'll lie?" She didn't dare to look up at him. She forced her own voice to remain passive.

Heero crossed the distance, offering her the drink. His eyes focused on her hand as she took the mug. "I can't risk you getting hurt."

Zero One had been one of the deadliest men in the world not so long ago. Surely he was most hated.

Relena frowned. She knew that she would do anything to protect him. She had to choose whether she would accept him and protect the lie or cling to her standard of honesty and risk his rejection.

"Okay," she said softly, "but just this one small lie."

Heero seemed to grin at his fianceé before he turned his attention back to the sunrise, outside the window.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N:

Try as we might, we just did not have it within ourselves to get this draft to you all any sooner. That said, I am very grateful for your patience and I have two requests.

Please, if you will, give a warm thanks to my dear beta and teammate, Stormy Monday, as she's worked around several complications to get these chapters reviewed for us, and I very much appreciate the work.

Also, I know I've been terrible about individual replies to your reviews. I confess: I am terrified I'll give my story away in conversation, and I'm a terrible liar. I understand, at that point, if you don't take the time to review, as my manners are lacking.

That said, for those who do still review, I'm very grateful. I always look forward to your notes. Thank you all for your comments, and for taking the time to read. Thank you for your patience, and I hope you enjoy this sappy chapter, as well. ;)

Much love and kisses. And enjoy the read.

-Bear

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing.**

 _With this Ring I thee wed,_ the ancient vows read. _With my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow..._

Relena just happened to be a glutton for the antiquities of conversation and ceremony, but she took the time to switch the vow of power and bend it to her own needs. She was the one with the worldly goods, after all. Leaning on the stone counter she found herself smirking ever so slightly at the far less traditional and to-the-point words Heero had offered. He was simply about her support and protection, and that's the only way he'd ever known to love her. For her, she knew, that was enough.

"So here we are," Noin said softly as she flanked Relena.

The bride subtly tucked the worn, scribbled page into her bodice and leaned over the bar, passing hushed instructions to the manager opposite her for a full five seconds more before she turned her smile on her sister. Lucrezia passed her a champagne flute, taking her in from toe to head. Relena's gown was adorned with finely stitched chiffon and careful lace detailing, making her the proverbial "belle" of the small but well-groomed occasion. As for her beloved, he had caved as far as to wear a white tie to the ceremony as she'd personally requested and was freshly shaven, but he put no special interest in his own appearance beyond what might be expected. Relena secretly suspected that that would be the way of things for the next sixty years, but since he raised no real protest she hoped he would simply continue to take her lead on the purely cosmetic details of his position as the politician's husband.

"Where on _earth_ did he get a name like 'Odin', anyway?" Lucrezia asked with a gleam of mischief. "He doesn't strike me as having European roots."

"I haven't the foggiest," Relena said, which was only partially untrue, of course. What little her husband knew about his true past he only carefully confided in her on occasion, and she never saw fit to press him for more. If the truth was told, Relena was afraid of what she might find if she dug too deeply into the history of the man who was now posing as _Odin Heero Ui_.

"Well, you know what your brother said, don't you?" The twinkle in her rich, purple eyes was working its way into a full blown playful grin.

"Hm?"

"He said the choice of 'Ui' was lazy," Noin chuckled. She eyed Relena taking a swig of the dry, bubbled liquid and followed suit.

"What did Milliardo expect him to take?" Relena's voice was calm and monotone at first, but then she closed her eyes and smiled, as though she was making a joke for herself alone. "Jingleheimer-Schmidt?"

Lucrezia sniggered. "So are you going to take his name? With the new spelling, I mean?"

"No, but the spelling has nothing to do with it." Relena tapped her fingertip on the rim of the glass and looked over at her brother before letting her gaze wander to where Heero and Trowa stood tall in a corner. Side by side they watched over the festivities with mirroring sentinel-like stances, each comfortable in their own space and neither bothering to say a word to each other or the passers by. "Heero forbade me," she said softly.

"'Forbade'?" The look on Noin's face was still light and playful, but the subject matter tended toward a more serious inquisition.

Relena shook her head. "'Persuaded' really. I never really had a chance to give the matter much thought. He just informed me of the story he's fabricated about his past, detailed the name change, and told me that I should keep my name the same to make things easier on everyone."

"So is he taking _your_ name?"

Relena smiled. "I'd rather not," she said. "It's bad enough that he's opted to go for a name change, at all. I'm still working on convincing him to introduce himself with a ' _my friends call me'_ tag."

"Then he'd have to admit that he had friends," Noin shrugged.

"Well," Relena answered, gesturing toward Trowa and then turning her back to the small scattering of family and friends. Her voice was soft and amorous. "I'll just have to keep working on opening his eyes to the people who are here for him, I suppose. Besides, I doubt he honestly thinks he's as alone as he likes to appear."

Lucrezia turned her attention back to her sister-in-law, openly admiring the gown as she spoke. "At least he knows you're on his side." She melted into a warm smile, letting a blush bleed into her cheeks. "I don't think I've ever seen a man so in love."

Relena felt suddenly very uncomfortable as she glanced back up at the taller woman. There was no reason for Lucrezia to pretend Heero was a romantic, so the statement caught her a little more than off guard.

Noin continued. "They say that the only thing more beautiful than the bride when she makes her entrance is the look on the groom's face, and I've got to tell you." She finished her glass and reached for a second. "I peeked."

Relena gave a soft, nervous chuckle.

"I know he practiced for that moment," Lucrezia continued. "He almost covered the emotion, but even Heero Yuy has his humanity. Compared to another man he might seem sullen, but compared to Heero, he was positively enamored."

"Do you—" Relena's voice broke softly and she swallowed. "Do you remember what gave him away?"

"He wasn't breathing."

Relena's own breath caught. Heero had been intensely and uncharacteristically impersonal with her since he'd chosen to propose, and though she'd originally written it off as preoccupation, it was beginning to make her second guess his intentions. She knew that he loved her in the way he'd described, but she'd hoped for something a little more deep and substantial coming into this huge commitment. It wasn't that she wanted Heero Yuy to change in any way—as she was very much in love with him for who he was—but there was still a longing in her to know that he treasured and desired her in a more intimate way than he had previously shown. Several weeks of his constant and increasingly stoic company caused her to wonder if maybe it wasn't nerves of some kind on his part, but as they neared the wedding day—this moment—she found herself finally doubting his romantic affections at all.

Of course he wouldn't be foolish enough to embark on a marriage with someone without something more between them than loyalty, she assured herself.

She mulled over Lucrezia's comment, searching her own memory for any clue that he was, in fact, as emotionally invested in the situation as she was. His hands were still and calm throughout the vows, giving her a hyper-awareness of her own trembling. (A thousand speeches to a million enemies could never compare the nerves she felt telling Heero her deepest wishes in front of everyone they knew.) His eyes never left hers for so much as a moment until the music had begun to play and the tension had lifted, but that was completely normal behavior for him. He'd always had an intense and solid stare. She did notice, when her own racing heart slowed enough for her to see clearly, that he had a touch of sweat glistening just at the edges of his temple, but it was late spring and she had to accept that the sun may well have just been beating down a little harder on him than she had planned—especially in that white tie tux he'd agreed to be seen in.

Still, just that hint that he may have been holding his breath when she walked in the room, (which she could not confirm for herself from where she'd been standing,) she could not possibly explain that away. Perhaps he did have more love for her that he might show in a public gathering, even as small as this, or than he might express to her in words, only.

Relena's heart quickened.

"He must make an intense lover," Lucrezia added onto her previous observations, spurring a blush up the bride's neck and ears.

The comment simultaneously grounded Relena back to the present conversation and left her flushed and overwhelmed by a myriad more of sultry mental images than she thought she could handle.

She had never before been so grateful to hear Duo's voice close clumsily in on her, jesting in drunken stammers about mistaking her home for a professional wedding venue for the twentieth time that night. Lucrezia called him out for the rudeness of his behavior, but he only pursed his lips in a sort of incessant and unspoken question, even as he lost focus on the conversation he'd come in to ignite. A small signal from Noin had Hilde to helping him away to his table.

Relena's eyes wandered over the small crowd again, until they caught on that dark blue pair that was already staring back at her from the other end of the space.

"Heero," she heard herself whisper in a voice that sounded more like a prayer than an observation.

Lucrezia nudged her, breaking her from the trance. Relena stole another glance to confirm that he was, in fact, watching her before she gave the taller woman her attention.

"I think it wouldn't hurt you to hurry back over there, Relena. He's not really making smalltalk with anyone, and I have it on good authority that he really doesn't mind your company all that much."

Relena gave a slow nod as Noin put a champagne flute in each of her hands and gestured in the groom's general direction.

Relena let out a long sigh, weaving her way down the stairs and through the tables toward the man she'd just sworn to honor and nurture until death could break their vow. The content of the commitment was nothing less than she had already known she would always give him—only slightly alluding to something more than she'd have offered if she'd otherwise married—but the fact of making it a vow before God and man was a new dynamic she'd have to feel her way through in the coming weeks and years. Suddenly her friendship and affection toward him were something more tangible and something she could be asked to answer for. Whether there was a problem in upholding it was never in question, but when the change would begin between them and how it would evolve was a sort of vague curiosity that clouded her thoughts.

An older man in a silk suit stepped beside her as she walked.

Relena stopped, smiling up at him. "Councilman Markus. I'm so glad you were able to come from the colony."

He nodded, raising his own glass as he gave her a quick inspection. "Radiant as always, my Queen."

She threw a warning look in response.

"Foreign Minister," he corrected.

Relena took a deep breath and centered herself, throwing an inconspicuous glance to her husband, who was still waiting across the way. "How's progress going on that bill draft we were working on?"

"Oh, no," he scolded. "You are not going to be working on your wedding day."

"Please," she whispered. "It's important."

Markus frowned. "Well, I've hired a few new assistants to help with the drafting. I ended up putting the young one in charge of the group. Justin Harris, his name is. Intuitive and smart, if a little clumsy. It's a shame he couldn't make it. You'll like him. But then again, I wouldn't want to excuse a workaholic's addiction at such an important moment in her life."

"Sounds like his company is a loss to you," she winked.

"Oh, heavens, no, m'lady. He's far too young for my tastes. Fresh out of school, this one. But he's packing a razor sharp mind."

"Hm." She smiled weakly, failing to hide that her thoughts were still on her next big project.

"I appreciated your invitation," he commented. "I see you really did plan a rather small party. Very much smaller than one might have expected for a woman of your stature."

The bride shook her head. "My husband, you'll find, is not so outgoing as you might expect. I wanted to make sure he was comfortable, that's all."

"And yet you bothered to invite my office. I should have known you were just trying to get away with checking up on us."

She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes.

"Tell me," he pressed, "who is the lucky man?"

Relena tilted her head.

"Oh, I've seen the interviews. Everyone want to know everything about this shy and guarded boy you met in boarding school, but give me something _authentic_. When did you know that this wasn't a highschool crush? When did you know you loved him?"

Relena stood a moment, running her mind back over her training for this. They had agreed that the best way to cover up the past was to keep the story as similar to the truth as possible. They'd met as children, they told everyone, in a boarding school. They saw each other again, in passing, at St Gabriel's, but then they saw nothing of each other throughout the rest of the war. Where did they reconnect? Had they pinned down a moment?

She fixed her eyes on Heero, choosing to pen another piece of the puzzle. She'd just have to clue him in later.

"It was about a year," she smiled, "after I'd transferred from St Gabriel's. I happened to be on L3 dealing with—" She hesitated. "—drama, as always. And we crossed paths." Relena shrugged, feeling her body begin to burn, again. The story was very much true and all she had to do was leave out some specifics—like the fact that she'd nearly been kidnapped and he'd turned it into a trap for her treacherous secretary, for example. "I'd always had a crush on him, which I'd expected would pass, but this time things were different. We spent a few hours together—" (More than a few.) "And when we were about to part ways, he took me by the arm, and he kissed me." She shrugged as she spoke, but Relena was overrun with butterflies, thinking back over her clumsy, confused reaction to the brief display of affection.

She looked back at the groom, sure her chest and ears were crimson against the cool white of her gown, and wondered if he could read lips as well as Duo had once described. What a fool she must look to him, now, still flustered by a boy's simple kiss in the middle of their war torn adolescence. His hard glare gave nothing away of his thoughts on her story, but she knew the display would work to support the charade of the normal boy in love with a queen.

"He'd never shown me affection before—not like that. But I—" She sighed. "I knew then that I was in love with him, and I've never really questioned that."

"Well," the Councilman said softly with a smile glowing nearly as brightly as the bride's, "I offer you my congratulations, then. You won him." He turned a quick glance to the waiting groom. "Justin and the rest of the office send their regards as well, but I see you have your sights set on someone a little more suited to your tastes. I shan't stand between a lady and her lover." He tipped his head in a bowing gesture and stepped away, practically floating in the whirlwind of perceived romance.

The bride hardly noticed Trowa stepping away from Heero when she approached, but she found herself the only one near as she did finally stop before him. Heero looked down on her with a strong and solid gaze.

"I feel like everyone is staring at me," she finally whispered with a smile. "I feel like they've been staring at me all day."

"They are," he said. His voice was hard and impassive. "They have been since you were fifteen."

"That's different." She shrugged. "I can feel it, now."

Heero surveyed the yard over her shoulder and turned his eyes back on her. He took the glasses from her hand, stepping away only long enough to leave them forgotten on the table to her side. Relena involuntarily jumped when his hand slipped under her arm and around her waist. He guided her body close to his and leaned in so she could feel his words against her ear.

"Take a deep breath," he whispered.

She complied, finding him drawing her still closer when she released it. She automatically reached up and held his arms to steady herself the second time he pulled her in.

"Just like dancing," he said. He turned his face so his nose bumped into her cheekbone. "Try not to look like you're still afraid of me."

Relena grinned and let out a soft sigh. "I was never afraid of you," she said.

Heero slipped one hand in hers and stepped out, leading her in dance. Relena always felt comfortable on the floor, unconsciously trusting him to guide her every step. She closed her eyes and allowed him to glide her across the floor.

When she spoke, again, her voice was barely above a whisper. "Are you really sure about this?"

His silence communicated disapproval.

"It's just—"

"I've already answered that question, Relena. I would think you would know by now if I had any reservations about the—" He hesitated a long moment, as if censoring his desire to use a still more impersonal term. "—Objective."

Her eyes sparkled when she gazed back up at him, understanding how she'd gotten under his skin with her comment. "Everyone hates repetition, Heero. It's not just you."

"And yet you all insist upon it."

The stateswoman allowed her eyes to drift over his shoulder as they moved to the cello in the background. "Husband to a Sphere-level politician is hardly a quiet gig. It would be insensitive not to make sure you know what you're getting into at least thirty-eight times."

"I never make a decision without first considering all of the possible outcomes. You know that."

"Yes, but I—"

"You're asking to make _yourself_ feel better."

Relena's chest heaved slightly with a huff. "Fine. For _my_ sake." She looked him square in the face, again. "Do you realize what you're getting yourself into, Heero Yuy? They won't go away. I'm not a county commissioner. They're going to write books about me. They're going to write books about _you_."

"Deception is simply the application of the skill of attention manipulation."

She blinked. "This isn't like some secret mission with an alias—"

"I can handle this."

Relena frowned. "I suppose," she said as she simultaneously shook her head in contradiction.

He turned her in his grasp and looked into her eyes. "You're tired."

Her lips parted, considering his comment. "I—"

It was true. She was more tired than she had even realized. In all the fuss of the celebration, she'd lost track of how long she'd been on her feet, but she realized that the exhaustion she felt was not merely physical. Everyone she'd ever loved had come from miles—even lightyears—around, and she'd poured herself entirely into the hospitality with which she'd met them. She was tired from the work she'd done that week—against her fiance's insistence. She was tired from the restless nights of sleep before the wedding. She was tired from the preparation involved in the ceremony, itself. She hadn't taken the time to consider herself, and when he brought it to her attention she found she was more tired than he'd hinted. She was positively drained.

"I'll create a diversion," he suggested in a technical voice. "Slip through the decorations behind me and you can get in the south entrance without being intercepted. I'll meet you in the hall and then we'll get you some rest."

Relena pressed her lips together, cataloguing his instructions in her mind, and slowly nodded.

"Manipulation of attention," he repeated softly, moving past her as smoothly as he had taken her in, and leaving her suddenly missing his warmth. Relena turned and slipped away without looking back.

Heero set his eyes squarely and unforgivingly on a very drunk Duo Maxwell. The room began to hush as he stalked across the temporary dance floor that had been procured for the occasion. Duo squirmed and whined with inhuman sounds under his glare, making inaudible excuses and confessions of whatever perceived wrongdoing popped into his head. Few could help but watch the scene Duo made as Heero closed in on him. In seconds he stood silently over his prey, offering a long and unflinching glare of death to his comrade.

Heero finally let out a sigh, leaning over Duo to take an untouched glass of water in his hand. He raised it over the other pilot's head and sipped, giving a hint of a triumphant smile as he put it back down on the table. When he turned Relena was long gone, as planned, and the people were going back to their previous conversations, each feigning that they hadn't been distracted by the anticipation of a conflict.

Unlike the bride, there was no fanfare when Heero stepped away from the dinner guests and made his way into the house. He walked calmly through the corridors until he found his relieved wife, and led her quietly toward her room.

Relena stopped outside the door, stealing a moment to prepare herself and try impotently not to think of what was supposed to happen when she brought him into her sanctuary, this time. Hoping he didn't noticed her overthinking the situation, Relena was very slow and intentional about even as much as turning the damned handle. The more her belly trembled, the slower and more firmly she moved.

Once they were both safely inside, she stopped in front of the mirror and allowed her thoughts and memories of the day to wash freely through her and over her. Heero didn't take any time to join her ritual, but paced quietly as he freed himself from the multiple layers of formal dress he had been apparently suffocating in throughout the evening. Relena watched him in silence for a few minutes before she turned her eyes back on her own reflection to find her lips adorned with a secret sort of smile.

Heero caught her attention when he mumbled something incoherent.

Relena blinked. "Hm?"

He turned to face her looking almost surprised that she hadn't made out what he'd asked in the mess of undressing. Heero stood in her room in naught but socks and slacks with an untucked shirt and ruffled hair. She'd seen a lot more of him than that in the years before, but something about seeing him in the act of undressing seemed to signify the change in their dynamic.

"Do you need help with that?" He repeated his question.

"Oh." Relena glanced back at herself, realizing that this was the last moment she would see herself in a wedding gown. She took a breath and swayed for the mirror one last time before signalling him where she'd have trouble.

At first she thought his touch was tender and painfully soft because of the fragile nature of the necklace he removed, but as he worked his way down the length of her spine, releasing one chiffon coated button at a time, she realized that he was careful in touching all of her, and not just what she was wearing. Relena wiggled out of the dress, suddenly very self conscious in her sleeveless, silk slip as she stretched onto her toes to secure the designer gown into its garment bag. When she turned to face him, Heero was looking right at her, showing no sign of insecurity of their situation for his own part.

"My feet are killing me," she commented to break the tension, but he said nothing.

Heero followed her, quietly, around the bed to where she'd normally sleep. She could feel him behind her as she slipped an aspirin in her mouth and chased it with a much needed swig of water.

Relena took a calming breath and turned to face him.

After several seconds he spoke. "How do you feel?"

Relena shrugged and offered a coy smile. "Secretly glad today is over," she confessed.

Heero nodded and cupped her waist, as he'd done before. Relena felt the breath leave her body as he leaned in and kissed her very softly. He straightened, looking over her face, and he brushed some hair from her eyes. "You should get some rest," he said, lingering with her until she sat back under the covers.

Heero bent over her and kissed her, meeting her forehead this time with his lips. Relena closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of tender affection, and quickly found them too heavy to open. She tried to say his name and tell him that she had underestimated her own exhaustion, but she slipped away into a deep, dreamless slumber.

When she did open her eyes again, it was night and the moon was high in the sky. She turned to find him, but he wasn't in her bed. Sitting up she finally saw him, prostrate on her couch. Relena wondered if he, too, was more weary than he'd let on, but before she could go to him she fell back into a hopeless sleep.


End file.
